Has anyone got any tips for warming up the Digitone? Softening the attack, avoiding bell-type high ratios, filtering, distorting etc go so some way to avoiding the sometimes harsh FM tone, and I’m wondering what else people are doing? Outboard stuff like AH, Boum? EQ tricks?
Slight lfo on tuning or filter is also a good one.
A bit of unison can also be effective.
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Well I’d say the filters are really good to tame the harsh fm.
The other thing is the right selection of algorithm, ratios, and mixing in a and b.
Have you studied delivered preset patches?
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There is something to be said about simply embracing the sound quality of an instrument. It’s not an analog, it’s FM, by nature it is digital and different sounding than a typical subtractive synth. I think the Digitone is capable of some incredibly lush sounding tones, but I never confuse it with a vintage monosynth. It’s got it’s own thing going on. Same issue I always had with people’s complaints about the MnM sounding digital and cold. If you need analog warmth, why try and force everything else into that mold? Just get an analog synth, they are cheap and plentiful these days. Use FM for what it’s good at, FM sounds 
That said, mine usually goes through some outboard gear before hitting the DAC’s. The DIYRE Colour Pallet with the cinemags would be my option of choice if I didn’t have other outboard to run it through.
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I do agree about loving the instrument for what it is and not wishing it was something else. I think I’m sensing that it is capable (with assistance) of less harsh tones, and I’m trying to understand how others work with it. I have a moog Minotaur and a Nord lead which al sit nicely with each other, but I would really like to not bring all those instruments with me if possible 
LFO on the fine ratios works nicely. I don’t think I’ve even tried unison, will give that a go!
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Yeah man, it’s like @lyingdalai said, unison works really well for this. I use 2 voice unison with a bit of spread on a growly bass to thicken/warm it up 
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Harsh tone could be either too metallic, too edgy, or to much high frequencies or a combination.
This is what I would try…
- too metallic: avoid FM ratios, which don’t divide to an integer. This would be 2/3, 2/5, 3/4 etc. because those ratios explicitely generate a metallic tone.
- too edgy: … what @LyingDalai suggested and/or using some chorus, delay, or reverb. All of this will smear out the harshness and make the tone more balanced.
- too much of high frequencies or too strong frequencies in the domain where our ears are most sensitive: try to reduce the gain of such frequencies with an EQ to about -3dB to -6 dB. Our ears are most sensitive in the region between 2kHz and 4kHz. Sometimes a little dip with the EQ is enough.
To make a “digital” tone much warmer, we can use any kind of analogue outboard equipment too. Be it a pre-amp, a channel strip on an analogue mixer, a guitar pedal, you name it.
The idea to use the AH is excellent, because it allows to add many types of harmonics and analogue timbre to the tone.
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This is a great response, thanks! I’m going to try this tonight.
Stick it through a Culture Vulture. Sounds mint.
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In general, I think tweaking the bandwidth filter can help a lot. And some slight modulation of tune.
I wish the overdrive was as fully fledged as the other effects, because it sounds surprisingly good on some types of sounds.
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